WORK • Thursday Routine
OLIVIA NKOMI • screenwriter & actress
Neighborhood you work in: Culver City
Neighborhood you live in: Playa del Rey
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m in a coffee shop, sipping a cup of green tea, going over what I wrote the day before, making some rewrites, and setting my objectives for the day. I rotate between Westside coffee shops depending on which stage I’m in: treatment, script, or rewrites. Right now, I’m in the middle of a script and I need to be hyper-focused, so I’m working at Village Well in Culver City, a bookstore/café that serves food and offers free parking: a dream.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I’ve just started writing my new script, “Queen of Swords.” It’s a biopic about Julie d’Aubigny, a bisexual French swordswoman turned opera singer. I usually write thrillers, but lately, I’ve been obsessed with rebellious women in history. My last script was about Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon’s nymphomaniac sister. I’m still waiting on final notes from my team before we send it out to producers, and I’m really excited about that.
Later tonight, I’ll be heading to my Samba class in Venice. Going to the Rio Carnival is a dream of mine, and this feels like the first step toward making it happen.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
I’m heading to the Hammer Museum on Sunday, then brunch at Lulu, their restaurant. I love to pair art and food. They have a delicious organic menu and a dreamy patio. I’ve also had my eyes on Tomat, a farm-to-table restaurant in Westchester. I’m counting the days until Olivetta reopens, I have a double date scheduled there with friends — I love the decor, the lighting, the chicken, and the caviar.
How about a little leisure or culture?
On Tuesday nights, I like to go to Sam First, a hidden jazz spot near LAX. Tuesdays are also jam sessions where up-and-coming musicians get to play together. It’s always inspiring to see them on stage.
I’m lucky enough to live near the beach, so I head there whenever I can, but otherwise I unwind at Kenneth Hahn Park, my favorite escape in the city. Something a bit wild is always happening: a snake, a hawk, a man with seven parrots, musicians recording a video… For art, I also love to stroll around the Bergamot Station art galleries and have a spritz and lunch at La Puglia.
Any weekend getaways?
I love driving to Valle de Guadalupe, the wine valley just past the border with Mexico. My favorite places to eat are Conchas de Piedra for delicious seafood overlooking a vineyard, and Animalón, a restaurant beneath a centuries-old oak tree. The open kitchen is right in front of you, so you get to watch the ballet of chefs preparing your food. It feels like a scene from a movie, especially as the sun sets over the vineyard. A final favorite is Deckman’s en el Mogor, which is also set on a vineyard.
What was your last great vacation?
I traveled solo through Italy: Rome, Florence, Ferrara, and Sicily. In Rome, I stayed at Le Suite del Barone. I highly recommend booking a room with a balcony for breathtaking city views. In Florence, I spent hours at La Ménagère, a dreamy bistro filled with flowers. Ferrara was meant to be a quiet writing escape, but I quickly realized I’d accidentally timed my trip with the Buskers Festival, the world’s largest street music event. Highly recommended! I’ll never forget turning a corner and finding myself on a street lined with fortune tellers.